It’s that time again for festive cheer and the celebration of another Christmas. It’s probably going to be a bumper one after the subdued nature of the last two we have had. Of course, this means lots of food, fun and family togetherness. 

Across the world celebrations and over catering bring a huge amount of food waste at this time of the year. It means that mountains of food waste find their way into the waste stream, putting lots of extra pressure on our environment. 

More than half the food waste comes from households, which means that when leftovers like meat, vegetables and fruit are deposited into landfills they start rotting and letting off methane gas. The alternative to this way of disposal is to recycle the food waste into compost, or even renewable energy. 

But this doesn’t happen and its left to the rubbish collection people to dispose of it on a daily basis. For us at Junk Removal Wirral food waste is a challenge we hope to overcome one day. 

We recognize that the methane gas emissions are posing a danger, far more so than C02 on our atmosphere. And is a major contributor to the total methane emissions creating climate change, reducing food waste and better disposal can reverse this trend. 

Have Fun, Think of Others Too

There is no doubt that after the rigours and challenges of the year that Christmas is going to be a well-deserved celebration with our families. 

Preparing for the season’s festivities is such a fun time that we normally fill the trolley with more than we need when we are out shopping. This is where the overindulgence starts: It’s the mindset we are used to, and you can’t blame us for feeling that way. After all we have worked for it!

Is it possible to cut down. And if so, how do we do it? 

Besides the over catering on the day itself, the biggest reason why we have so much food waste is that we don’t manage our food once we have bought it. It means that some food gets stuck at the back of the refrigerator, while others go bad in a cupboard where it’s been left unattended for too long. 

In some instances, consumers let foods go past their expiry dates, resulting in having to throw the food away unnecessarily.

Considering that many people go hungry around the world, it’s a pity that this must happen. 

Look at Buying Patterns, Support Local 

There is a lot to be said and money to be saved when buying smaller amounts for immediate use and doing so locally. Even though the attraction of “buy two, get a third free” in large supermarket chains may be appealing, in many instances this is just an unneeded purchase as this is where waste often occurs. 

Local can also end up being cheaper when considering that lower transport, storage, and service costs are involved. Besides, by supporting your local community you are ploughing your money into your own area, helping the sustainability of local business. 

In this way, even if the trips to the shops are more frequent, the end result is that a household will buy what they need for now, rather than have massive amounts of back-up foods that could perish or go stale in a cupboard. 

Be Part of Schemes that put Excess Food to Use

Often to be found in well run restaurants are schemes which specifically make use of food that is about to pass its use by date. 

In the restaurant itself, the owner is likely to make up a special menu item incorporating the foods that need to be used up, not only offering exciting specials for customers, but also doing so on days when patronage levels are traditionally slow. 

On the home front, why not make contact with a local charity in your area that is involved with feeding schemes for the less fortunate. In this way any food wastage can be minimized by donating what you don’t need instead of it ending up in the bin. 

Farmers too have a role to play. Not all fruit is the same quality or size which results in rejects occurring at harvest time. Instead of letting the fruit rot on the trees or vines, considerate farmers donate part of the crop they can’t use to a good cause or to processing.

This still incurs costs of labour and transport which must be covered, but at least it prevents the food going to waste. 

It’s Not Only Households that Waste Food 

Surprisingly, most of the food waste that is thrown away is still usable, which is a sad fact. Food that has started to go “off” can be discoloured, but still edible, it’s just that we are fussy or too lazy to try and do something with it. 

In other cases, we may have bought the food, but don’t want it anymore. 

This also occurs to a great extent in shops where the food doesn’t comply with the standards the retailer is trying to maintain. If the food, for some reason doesn’t look good, but is perfectly good to eat, it simply gets rejected and the distributor is forced to remove it and, in most cases will have to discard it. 

Think about all the wasted transport and refrigeration costs that accompany the movement and storage of food that goes to ends up going to waste. 

So, with all these facts in mind, how can you help reduce your food wastage? 

Happy Christmas 

At Junk Removal Wirral we would like to join you in wishing you a merry Christmas at the end of what was a year of recovery for us all. May you enjoy your festive spirit, and above all, remember not to overdo the food and keep your food waste down as well as you can! 

We will be on call doing our cleanups and keeping your community clean as always. If you require junk removal or rubbish collection services, then Junk Removal Wirral are your go-to guys. 

Call us on the following number if you need us.  

0151 808 0407. 

We are ready to help with your waste collection anytime. 

Email: enquiries@junkremovalwirral.co.uk

www.junkremovalwirral.co.uk